


You could haunt me awhile

by salvadore



Category: Grayson (Comics)
Genre: Established Relationship, Halloween TV Tropes, M/M, Magical Aftermath, ToT: Chocolate Box
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-24
Updated: 2016-10-24
Packaged: 2018-08-24 10:00:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8368105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/salvadore/pseuds/salvadore
Summary: “How do you even know a witch, anyway?” “Magician,” Dick corrects as if it’s a significant difference after the night they’ve had.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [littlehuntress](https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlehuntress/gifts).



Midnighter lingers alone in the shower until he’s sure every bit of grime and guts has been scrubbed from his skin. He can’t wash away the bruises and scratches, but he can scrub until his skin is pink and there’s no longer traces of blood, real or corn syrup, under his fingernails or in his hair. Until he feels like every trace of Gotham has been chased down the drain. 

The bathroom is hot with the lingering steam when he finally steps out, and the mirror is opaque with it. M laughs, dragging his fingers through his sopping hair as he looks at the love note left for him above the sink scrawled with hearts and bats, beckoning him to meet in the living room. M presses a hand to the mirror just beside the message, grinning despite himself and the cheesiness of it. It’s growing on him; there’s a whole long list of things about Dick that he’d initially seen as intriguing traits in an opponent that he’s grown fond of. Like Dick’s idealism and light-footedness. M hadn’t even noticed Dick slipping back into the room to write the note. 

M wipes it away and, with the condensation cleared, he gets a clear look at himself. There’s a flush of relief through his system at bloodshot eyes and the red, blotchiness to his skin from getting overheated. He breathes out as the steam gathers and starts to fog up the mirror again, just to see his lung expand and his nostrils flare. He looks alive, if banged up and exhausted. Just the way he should.

After he’s slipped on some sweatpants, M goes to the living room. He finds Dick settled in on the couch in a borrowed pair of sweats and a shirt he must have left behind the last time he slept over because it says “Gotham Knights” across the chest and M’s a west-coast pride sports fan. The shirt is faded, well-worn and stretching across Dick’s shoulders like it’s a size too small. His chest rises with evenly, and his hair has left a damp ring along the collar. He’s channel flipping with this serious look on his face.

Dick turns his head to look over the back of the couch as he hears M approaching, and starts smiling. 

“Hey,” he says. 

“Hey back,” M murmurs. It’s early, four am kind of light breaking over the skyline outside. M presses a hand to Dick’s cheek, feeling the warmth of skin that’s still heated and flushed from the shower too. He runs his thumb over Dick’s cheek, smiling back as Dick leans into his touch. 

M leans over to kiss Dick, and keeps it gentle even as he catches Dick’s lower lip between his own. Normally he’d nip or bite, to draw a laugh from Dick as he would tangle his fingers in M’s hair, but there’s been more than enough biting for one night. 

Dick makes a soft sound when they’ve stopped kissing. And keeps his eyes closed as M draws his thumb across Dick’s bottom lip. He gently presses his thumb down on the cleft of Dick’s chin; draws the touch along his throat and to the blossoming, deep purple bite mark above the hollow of Dick’s throat. 

“I got you good,” M says. Keeps his voice even. “Sorry.”

“I’m fine,” Dick replies. He catches M’s wrist. “Honestly. Zatanna said it would heal fine. No latent vampire saliva infections or other magical repercussions.” 

And M laughs, drops his head to where he has his arm resting on the back of the couch, and just lets the laughter shake out of him as Dick presses a hand over M’s on his skin. There’s the gentle comfort of Dick running his thumb over M’s knuckles and it draws up when the laughter has died down. 

M presses a kiss to what’s closest, Dick’s shoulder under that shirt. He smells laundry detergent and his brand of soap scrubbed into Dick’s skin. He’d had at least as much blood to wash off as M.

“How do you even know a witch, anyway?” 

“Magician,” Dick corrects as if it’s a significant difference after the night they’ve had. “Are you saying with all the Gardener missions and equipment you never came across magic?”

“That’s not what I’m saying,” M says. He lets his eyes go unfocused as he stares at Dick’s shoulder. “I’m just surprised. You and the Bats don’t seem the type to believe.” 

Dick makes a noncommittal sound. M closes his eyes and just lets his head rest for a moment as Dick laces their fingers together on his shoulder. He doesn’t know how long he drifts off to the sounds of a movie tuned low in the background and Dick’s breathing. 

“Anyway,” M says after a deep breath, pushing his exhaustion back for now. “Lucky me. That my boyfriend knew a witch -” 

“Magician.” 

“Who could reverse the spell before I exsanguinated said boyfriend.” 

“Lucky you,” Dick quips. 

There’s the crinkle of a wrapper and when M opens his eyes he spies Dick using his free hand and teeth to tear open the wrapper on a Kit-Kat bar. Stretching from where he’s been crouched behind the couch, M spies the plastic jack-o-lantern tote cradled between Dick’s knees that’s filled with candy. Dick grins up at him, mischief and what M would swear is an actual sparkle in his eyes. He takes a bite of the fun-size candy bar before offering the other half to M. And it’s impossible to hold back the warm laugh that the action shocks out of him, so M doesn’t even try. He squeezes Dick’s hand gently in his own as he leans all the way over to eat out of Dick’s hand. 

It takes some maneuvering to get the two of them together on the couch without letting go of Dick’s hand, but they manage. Dick untucks his feet from between the cushions to make room, and M uses his free hand to grip Dick’s upper thigh and haul him closer. Dick is all warm, solid mass as he relaxes against M’s chest, legs across M’s lap. 

“You’re the one who wanted to dress as Dracula in the first place,” Dick says when they’re finally settled, his head half on M’s shoulder. 

“Yeah well, I didn’t see you acquiring Superman’s powers and leaping tall buildings while the rest of us were under the spell,” M retorts, searching through the candy between them for something sour or for the king-size candies some showy jerk is always giving out. When Dick huffs out a laugh he does it with his face turned toward M’s throat and the warm breath on his skin makes M shiver. 

“Where’d you get the candy?” 

The way Dick busies himself with finding the remote and turning up the movie is response enough. One of M’s older neighbors is going to be asking after his “nice young man,” for the next coming months. 

They have to work as a team to unwrap and eat the candy between them but M isn’t complaining. M keeps licking and biting unnecessarily at Dick’s fingers when they get near to slip him candy. They’re a tactile couple, but this is it turned up to ten. 

“What's the chance someone calls and asks me to door you to an international team-up?” 

“I think we have a few hours,” Dick says with a grin, uncurling from M’s grasp to lean back and look him in the eye. There’s chocolate in the corner of his lips that he licks away with a wink. 

M says, “Good,” and grins. He leans in and presses open mouth kisses to Dick’s throat as he moves to get a hand inside Dick’s pants. Dick’s fingers squeeze tight around M’s and in a second M knows he'll have his toes curling. He doesn't even need to see the future to know it. It's obvious in the way Dick groans out his name, breath catching on that laugh of his that M knows is knee-jerk and unstoppable. He opens his mouth, wanting to drag the collar of Dick's shirt down with his teeth -

When one of the characters on the slasher film starts screaming and Dick jumps to fumble for the remote. The jack-o-lantern pitches out from between them and hits the floor, candy scattering as the woman takes a deep breath to start screaming anew. Thankfully, Dick manages to find mute just in time.

In the sudden quiet, Dick breathes heavily, cheeks flushed in embarrassment at being startled. And M chuckles, his own heart is racing - from the late night horror rerun of all things. The exhaustion is coming back slowly and he’s content to it with Dick leaning back against him. 

“Happy Halloween,” M says, pressing the words into a kiss against Dick’s temple. Dick makes a soft sound at the touch. His cheeks are still flushed when he lifts his chin.

They kiss with candy sweetness on their tongues and dawn finally breaking into day.

**Author's Note:**

> I gave it my best to hit your prompts for _morning after candy eating_ and vampirism because I loved the ideas you painted in your letter. They kind of coalesced into what you have here. I really liked exploring this relationship, so thank you! I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed putting it together! 
> 
> Thanks so so much to wayonwayout & empires for the last minute hand-holding and beta work! Honestly, you're the best. 
> 
> Happy Halloween! ♥


End file.
